He set to work an economy and efficiency
commission; he removed a Tammany superintendent of prisons; made
unusually good appointments without paying any attention to the
machine; and urged upon the legislature vigorous and vital laws.
But the Tammany party had a large working majority in both
houses, and the changed Sulzer was given no support. The crucial
moment came when an emasculated primary law was handed to him for
his signature. An effective primary law had been a leading
campaign issue, all the parties being pledged to such an
enactment. The one which the Governor was now requested to sign
had been framed by the machine to suit its pleasure. The Governor
vetoed it. The legislature adjourned on the 3rd of May. The
Governor promptly reconvened it in extra session (June 7th) for
the purpose of passing an adequate primary law. Threats that had
been made against him by the machine now took form. An
investigating committee, appointed by the Senate to examine the
Governor's record, largely by chance happened upon "pay dirt,"
and early on the morning of the 13th of August, after an
all-night session, the Assembly passed a motion made by its
Tammany floor leader to impeach the Governor.
The articles of impeachment charged: first, that the Governor had
filed a false report of his campaign expenses; second, that since
he had made such statement under oath he was guilty of perjury;
third, that he had bribed witnesses to withhold testimony from
the investigating committee; fourth, that he had used threats in
suppression of evidence before the same tribunal; fifth, that he
had persuaded a witness from responding to the committee's
subpoena; sixth, that he had used campaign contributions for
private speculation in the stock market; seventh, that he had
used his power as Governor to influence the political action of
certain officials; lastly, that he had used this power for
affecting the stock market to his gain.
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